We’re looking for a Senior HR Manager for a young, energetic and fast-growing company in Dubai.

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And when we say Senior HR Manager, we mean someone who has done the whole HR thing.

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You’ve recruited people. You’ve onboarded them. You’ve managed performance reviews, employee complaints, salary discussions, engagement surveys, investigations, resignations and those awkward conversations everyone suddenly wants HR to handle.

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You’ve looked at HR data and understood what it was trying to tell you. You’ve advised senior leaders, challenged managers and fixed processes that were creating more problems than they solved.

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Basically, you know HR from every angle.

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If most of your experience sits in one area, such as recruitment or HR operations, this role will probably be too broad. We need someone who understands how every part of HR connects.

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Oh, and by the way, have you led a team of four HR professionals from different countries and cultures?

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Because that’s a must.

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This company needs someone who has already managed people from different backgrounds and understands that the same communication style does not work with everyone.

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Some people want direct feedback. Some need time to think. Some will tell you exactly what is wrong. Others will say, “Everything is fine,” while their face, body language and employee survey say something completely different.

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We need someone who can read the room, adapt and lead people as individuals.

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And yes, we’re going to ask you about it.

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Which countries were represented in your team? How did you adapt your leadership? What went wrong? What did you learn? How did you deal with different communication styles, expectations and ways of working?

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Saying “I worked in a multicultural environment” will not be enough.

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Bring the receipts.

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The details

Position: Senior HR Manager
Location: Dubai, UAE
Salary: AED 30,000 per month
Type: Full-time

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About the company

The company is young, ambitious, social and full of energy.

People move fast, ideas come from everywhere and there’s always something happening. It’s the kind of environment where you might start the morning talking about recruitment numbers and finish the day helping two managers resolve a conflict nobody saw coming.

That’s HR. Things get messy sometimes.

The company needs someone who can bring structure without becoming the HR police. Someone employees trust, managers respect and senior leaders listen to.

You’ll be leading an international HR team of four people, working closely with leadership and taking responsibility for the full employee lifecycle.

There’s a lot to own here. That’s also what makes the role exciting.

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What will you be responsible for?

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HR strategy and leadership

You’ll create the people strategy, but you’ll also make sure it works in real life.

We don’t need another beautiful presentation that lives in a folder and nobody opens again.

You’ll look at where the company is going, which people it needs, what the HR team should focus on and where the biggest risks are. You’ll advise senior leadership, challenge decisions when needed and help managers deal with people properly.

You’ll also lead the HR team of four. That means setting expectations, dividing responsibilities, developing the team, giving feedback and creating a working environment where four people from different cultures can work well together.

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Recruitment and employer branding

You’ll oversee recruitment from the moment someone says, “We need another person,” until the right person signs the contract.

That includes workforce planning, job descriptions, sourcing, interviews, hiring decisions, recruitment agencies, candidate experience and employer branding.

You should understand numbers such as time to hire, cost per hire and quality of hire. You should also know when a hiring manager is asking for a magical unicorn who does not exist and costs half the market salary.

Yes, you’ll need to have that conversation too.

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Onboarding and offboarding

A new employee’s first week should feel organised, welcoming and clear.

They should know what they’re doing, who they’re working with and what is expected from them. They should not spend four days asking where their laptop is.

You’ll own onboarding, probation reviews and the full offboarding process.

When someone leaves, you’ll make sure everything is handled properly, from documentation and final settlements to exit interviews and understanding why people are leaving.

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Performance management

You’ll manage the complete performance cycle, including goals, reviews, feedback, promotions, development plans and performance improvement plans.

You’ll also help managers understand that a performance review should contain more than, “You’re doing great, keep going.”

When someone is struggling, you’ll make sure expectations are clear, feedback is documented and the person has a fair opportunity to improve.

When someone is brilliant, you’ll make sure the company sees it.

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Employee engagement and satisfaction

You’ll run engagement surveys, employee satisfaction surveys, focus groups and other ways of understanding what employees are experiencing.

Then comes the important part: doing something with the results.

Employees quickly stop giving feedback when they see that nothing changes. You’ll turn survey results into clear actions, agree on responsibilities with managers and follow up until something happens.

You’ll understand what keeps people motivated, what frustrates them and what could make good employees start looking elsewhere.

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Recognition and rewards

People want to know that their work matters.

You’ll create ways to recognise strong performance, meaningful contributions, teamwork and progress.

And please, let’s go further than sending another company-wide email saying, “Congratulations to Ahmed for being amazing.”

Recognition should feel personal, fair and connected to the company culture.

You’ll also support salary reviews, benefits, promotions, retention plans and reward decisions.

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Employee relations

This is where we need someone with real HR experience.

You’ll handle complaints, conflicts, grievances, investigations, disciplinary cases, poor performance, absence issues, difficult managers and sensitive terminations.

Some cases will be simple. Others will make you stare at your screen and wonder how this situation even happened.

You’ll stay calm, ask the right questions, document everything and make fair decisions based on facts, company policy and UAE labour law.

Employees need to trust you. Managers need honest guidance. Leadership needs someone who will tell them when a decision could create a serious problem.

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HR operations

Contracts, employee files, HR policies, payroll information, leave, attendance, medical insurance, visas, benefits, employee letters and HR systems all need to be accurate.

It may not be the glamorous side of HR, but when someone’s salary, visa or medical insurance is wrong, it becomes the most important thing in the world to that employee.

You’ll make sure the HR engine works properly and the company follows UAE labour law.

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People analytics

You’ll track headcount, turnover, retention, recruitment, absence, performance, promotions, salaries, engagement and employee relations cases.

Then you’ll tell us what the numbers mean.

Why are people leaving one department more than another? Why is recruitment taking too long? Why are employees unhappy with one manager? Why are high performers suddenly resigning?

A colourful dashboard is lovely. We also need answers and clear actions.

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Learning and development

You’ll identify where employees and managers need support and create learning plans that make sense.

That may include leadership development, manager training, career plans, internal workshops, external programmes and individual development plans.

Training should solve a real problem. Sending twenty people to a random workshop because there was money left in the budget does not count.

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Sustainability

Yes, sustainability is also part of this role.

And putting three recycling bins in the kitchen does not count as a sustainability strategy.

You’ll help create practical sustainability policies, involve employees, track progress, collect data and work with leadership on initiatives that have a real purpose.

We need someone who can connect sustainability with employee behaviour, company culture and the way the business operates.

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Who are we looking for?

We’re looking for someone with:

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• At least 8 years of HR experience

• Several years in an HR management or leadership role

• Hands-on experience across all major HR functions

• Experience leading a team of at least four HR professionals

• Proven experience managing people from different countries and cultures

• Strong knowledge of UAE labour law

• Experience working with senior leaders

• Real employee relations experience

• Strong knowledge of performance management

• Experience with HR analytics and reporting

• Excellent written and spoken English

• A relevant degree in HR, business, psychology or a similar field

 

CIPD, SHRM, HRCI or another recognised HR qualification would be a plus.

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The person behind the experience

 

This part matters a lot.

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We need to see your personality from your CV already.

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Your CV should make us think, “Okay, we need to meet this person.”

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Show us how you think, how you lead and what kind of energy you bring. Tell us what you changed, what you fixed and what became better because you were there.

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“Responsible for recruitment, onboarding and employee relations” tells us almost nothing.

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How many people did you recruit? Which processes did you build? How did you improve employee satisfaction? How large was your team? Which cultures did you manage? Did you reduce turnover? Did you solve a difficult employee issue? Did you save money or improve performance?

Give us the real story.

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Personality matters in this company. You need to be energetic, approachable, curious and confident.

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You should be able to laugh with the team, have a difficult conversation five minutes later and still treat everyone with respect.

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You need to know when to listen, when to challenge and when to say, “Okay, this makes absolutely no sense. We need to fix it.”

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We want someone who brings ideas, speaks openly and takes ownership.

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If something is broken, you notice it.

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If a manager needs support, you step in.

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If an employee is being treated unfairly, you say something.

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If the data shows a problem, you don’t wait six months and hope it disappears.

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That’s the person we’re looking for.

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What’s in it for you?

• AED 30,000 per month

• A senior position with real responsibility

• Direct access to company leadership

• An international HR team of four people

• Space to improve processes and introduce new ideas

• The opportunity to shape the company’s culture

• Responsibility for the complete HR function

• A young, energetic and international working environment

 

How to apply

Send us:

• Your ATS-readable CV

• Your LinkedIn profile

• A short cover note answering these three questions:

1. Which HR functions have you personally managed?

2. Which multicultural team have you led, and how did you adapt your leadership?

3. What is one HR result you are genuinely proud of?

 

Please give us real examples, numbers and outcomes.

 

Send your application to darija@darijamesko.com with the subject:

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Senior HR Manager, Dubai

 

And please, let your personality come through.

 

We’re hiring a human, after all.

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